Writing All Up — The Seven Year Foundation

Blog #1
 
While writing All Up, as I’ve done for all my books, I kept a running, dated chronology of my progress. I noted self-imposed deadlines, number of pages written, goals, and so on. It’s a way to set milestones, to keep to a schedule, to get the job done. My deadlines were reasonable but strict; I find myself a reasonable taskmaster. I do it because, otherwise, particularly for All Up, I would be toiling in a void-like purgatory. A structured schedule is a great way of remaining sane. It might not work for everyone, but does for me.
 
However, I never anticipated taking so long to write All Up. I underestimated the work and the research; I also ended up overwriting and had to spend months cutting things down. Yet it was all necessary. That was the “journey” (yes, an overused word) I had to take, and it was fascinating.
 
I offer these dates and the implied evolution to other writers and to anyone interested in one writer’s trajectory. It can be viewed as a cautionary tale or simply a nutty record of one man’s struggle with words and a cat (Stinky) that kept walking across the keyboard…
 
Thanks,
J. W. Rinzler
 
All Up, The Chronology
 
1962: Born. No intention of writing novels.
 
1969: Woken up by parents to watch moonwalk. Impressed.
 
2005: Visit Huntsville museum. See actual Saturn 5. Mind blown. Learn more about Operation Paperclip. Start playing with idea of writing a novel about first Space Age.
 
2005 to 2012: Idea gestates. Fear of not being able to do it. Write books on cinema, and a licensed YA novel about Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Mystery of Mount Sinai).
 
That YA novel receives a very positive reader review on Amazon that makes me think I might be able to do a historical novel. Little did I know what was in store.
 
June 3, 2012: I start and, a month or so later, falter; work stops on novel.
 
February 19, 2013: I start again on All Up: Odyssey of the Rocketmen.
 
Spend roughly two hours a day for one year doing initial research for book while on bus commuting from Petaluma to San Francisco/Lucasfilm. Read dozens of books on Space Age, memoirs, bios, histories (see “Further Reading” on allupjwr.com or jwrinzler.com).
 
February 9, 2014: Complete 80,000-word rough research outline.
 
Begin work on turning that outline into rough draft (before/after day job): goal is to convert at least 5 pages of outline per day; 15 pages/week; 12 weeks to finish very rough draft.
 
May 2014: Late, but finish Very Rough Draft.
 
I give a chapter to my wife, Geneviève, to evaluate. Is it worth continuing? I always ask Geneviève to look at work that I’m not sure about; she is a natural editor. Gen says yes, continue.
 
I make a character list and divide book into five acts.
 
April 12, 2014: Begin writing “real” rough draft: two chapters/week; goal is to finish in 75 weeks, circa October 2015.
 
June 9, 2015: Ahead of schedule, finish Real Rough Draft; it’s approximately 276,000 words. I’m not worried about length. Big mistake.
 
June 19: Begin work on first draft.
 
November 28, 2015: FINISHED FIRST DRAFT.
 
December 21, 2015: Start second draft; novel still needs much work. (Note: During all of these early drafts, research continues.) Want to finish end of June 2016.
 
April 1, 2016: Finish second draft.
 
I give whole book to Geneviève to read and comment on.
 
April 25, 2016: Up till now I’ve worked, except for notes and miscellaneous, almost completely on laptop. I read and edit third draft on paper. Eyes and inner-ear read it differently on paper; important necessary step (for me).
 
Word count is dangerously high at 299,447; I still don’t care. Still big mistake.
 
July 23: Have incorporated my edits and Geneviève’s edits, and cut down word count to 259,603—third draft finished.
 
After more cuts, by August 26, 2016, fourth draft is down to 256,686 words.
 
I solicit criticism from readers—friends and family and professionals—about five of whom actually have time to read and comment.
 
Month or so later, better than expected feedback. I incorporate, make more changes.
 
September 29, 2016: Start looking for agent. This turns out to be one of the more frustrating experiences of my life.
 
October: Start what I’m calling fifth draft. (Date finished is unrecorded.)
 
May 8, 2017: With time between writing books on cinema, I decide to do a sixth draft. Geneviève re-reads whole thing. Word count now 231,808.
 
Still no agent.
 
October 8, 2017: On the advice of friend, I begin reading whole novel aloud, editing as I go. Makes a big difference to read out loud. Call it a seventh draft.
 
November 1,  2018: I decide to cut out Jack Parsons’ storyline; I can’t make it work in terms of Apollo 11; and there has been a lot of attention about Parsons, even a TV show; I’d be late to the party.
 
December 13, 2018: Major revision, more or less done. Novel now less than 160,000 words. Title shortened to All Up. Call it an eighth draft.
 
Wizard of Oz moment: I realize that the ideal agent has always been around: long-time family friend and veteran agent/publisher, Peter Beren.
 
April 2019: Beren masterminds solicitation plan; Permuted Press decides to publish All Up.
 
June 27: Start last polish/ninth draft; finish on September 30.
 
February 2020: Receive proofread version and re-read novel, making corrections and several simple but important improvements (tenth draft).
 
May 2020: Mind racked with existential problem: How can I explain to potential readers what kind of book this is in a few sentences—and get the word out? Marketing only goes so far.
 
Pray hourly…